I want to take a moment to discuss the recent
news reports of classified documents that were illegally provided from
United States Government computers. In my conversations with
counterparts from around the world over the past few days, and in my
meeting earlier today with Foreign Minister Davutoglu of Turkey, I've
had very productive discussions on this issue.

The United States strongly
condemns the illegal disclosure of classified information. It puts
peopleís lives in danger, threatens our national security, and
undermines our efforts to work with other countries to solve shared
problems. This Administration is advancing a robust foreign policy that
is focused on advancing Americaís national interests and leading the
world in solving the most complex challenges of our time, from fixing
the global economy, to thwarting international terrorism, to stopping
the spread of catastrophic weapons, to advancing human rights and
universal values. In every country and in every region of the world, we
are working with partners to pursue these aims.

So letís be clear: this
disclosure is not just an attack on Americaís foreign policy interests.
It is an attack on the international community -- the alliances and
partnerships, the conversations and negotiations, that safeguard global
security and advance economic prosperity.

I am confident that the
partnerships that the Obama Administration has worked so hard to build
will withstand this challenge. The President and I have made these
partnerships a priority -- and we are proud of the progress that they
have helped achieve -- and they will remain at the center of our efforts.

I will not comment on or
confirm what are alleged to be stolen State Department cables. But I can
say that the United States deeply regrets the disclosure of any
information that was intended to be confidential, including private
discussions between counterparts or our diplomatsí personal assessments
and observations. I want to make clear that our official foreign policy
is not set through these messages, but here in Washington. Our policy is
a matter of public record, as reflected in our statements and our
actions around the world.

I would also add that to the
American people and to our friends and partners, I want you to know that
we are taking aggressive steps to hold responsible those who stole this
information. I have directed that specific actions be taken at the State
Department, in addition to new security safeguards at the Department of
Defense and elsewhere to protect State Department information so that
this kind of breach cannot and does not ever happen again.

Relations between
governments arenít the only concern created by the publication of this
material. U.S. diplomats meet with local human rights workers,
journalists, religious leaders, and others outside of governments who
offer their own candid insights. These conversations also depend on
trust and confidence. For example, if an anti-corruption activist shares
information about official misconduct, or a social worker passes along
documentation of sexual violence, revealing that personís identity could
have serious repercussions: imprisonment, torture, even death.

So whatever are the motives
in disseminating these documents, it is clear that releasing them poses
real risks to real people, and often to the very people who have
dedicated their own lives to protecting others.

Now, I am aware that some
may mistakenly applaud those responsible, so I want to set the record
straight: There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people,
and there is nothing brave about sabotaging the peaceful relations
between nations on which our common security depends.

There have been examples in
history in which official conduct has been made public in the name of
exposing wrongdoings or misdeeds. This is not one of those cases. In
contrast, what is being put on display in this cache of documents is the
fact that American diplomats are doing the work we expect them to do.
They are helping identify and prevent conflicts before they start. They
are working hard every day to solve serious practical problems -- to
secure dangerous materials, to fight international crime, to assist
human rights defenders, to restore our alliances, to ensure global
economic stability. This is the role that America plays in the world.
This is the role our diplomats play in serving America. And it should
make every one of us proud.

The work of our diplomats
doesnít just benefit Americans, but also billions of others around the
globe. In addition to endangering particular individuals, disclosures
like these tear at the fabric of the proper function of responsible
government.

People of good faith
understand the need for sensitive diplomatic communications, both to
protect the national interest and the global common interest. Every
country, including the United States, must be able to have candid
conversations about the people and nations with whom they deal. And
every country, including the United States, must be able to have honest,
private dialogue with other countries about issues of common concern. I
know that diplomats around the world share this view Ė but this is not
unique to diplomacy. In almost every profession -- whether itís law or
journalism, finance or medicine or academia or running a small business
Ė people rely on confidential communications to do their jobs. We count
on the space of trust that confidentiality provides. When someone
breaches that trust, we are all worse off for it. And so despite some of
the rhetoric weíve heard these past few days, confidential
communications do not run counter to the public interest. They are
fundamental to our ability to serve the public interest.

In America, we welcome
genuine debates about pressing questions of public policy. We have
elections about them. That is one of the greatest strengths of our
democracy. It is part of who we are and it is a priority for this
Administration. But stealing confidential documents and then releasing
them without regard for the consequences does not serve the public good,
and it is not the way to engage in a healthy debate.

In the past few days, I have
spoken with many of my counterparts around the world, and we have all
agreed that we will continue to focus on the issues and tasks at hand.
In that spirit, President Obama and I remain committed to productive
cooperation with our partners as we seek to build a better, more
prosperous world for all.

Thank you, and Iíd be glad
to take a few questions.

Mr. Crowley: Weíll begin
with Charlie Wolfson of CBS in his last week here covering the State
Department.

Secretary Clinton: Where are
you going, Charlie?

RQ: Iíll [inaudible]
into the sunset, but let me get to a question.

Secretary Clinton: Yes, sir.

RQ: Madam Secretary,
are you embarrassed by these leaks personally, professionally? And what
harm have the leaks done to the U.S. so far that you can determine from
talking to your colleagues?

Secretary Clinton: Well,
Charlie, as I said in my statement, and based on the many conversations
that Iíve had with my counterparts, I am confident that the partnerships
and relationships that we have built in this Administration will
withstand this challenge. The President and I have made these
partnerships a priority, a real centerpiece of our foreign policy, and
weíre proud of the progress that we have made over the last 22 months.

Every single day, U.S.
Government representatives from the entire government, not just from the
State Department, engage with hundreds if not thousands of government
representatives and members of civil society from around the world. They
carry out the goals and the interests and the values of the United
States. And it is imperative that we have candid reporting from those
who are in the field working with their counterparts in order to inform
our decision-making back here in Washington.

I can tell you that in my
conversations, at least one of my counterparts said to me, ďWell, donít
worry about it. You should see what we say about you.Ē So I
think that this is well understood in the diplomatic community as part
of the give-and-take. And I would hope that we will be able to move
beyond this and back to the business of working together on behalf of
our common goals.

Mr. Crowley: Kim Ghattas of
BBC.

Secretary Clinton: Kim.

RQ: Madam Secretary, I
was wondering whether you could tell us what you think your upcoming
trip is going to look like. Presumably, a lot of the people who have
been mentioned in those alleged cables are going to have conversations
with you. Do you think itís going to cause you discomfort over the
coming week as you engage in conversations with those leaders?

And I know you donít want to
comment on the particulars of the cables, but one issue that has been
brought up into the daylight is the debate about Iran. What do you think
the impact is going to be of those documents on the debate about Iran in
the coming weeks and months?

Secretary Clinton: Well,
Kim, youíre right. And I donít know if youíre going on this trip or not,
but we will be seeing dozens of my counterparts in Astana, and then as I
go on from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan and then ending up in
Bahrain for the Manama dialogue. And I will continue the conversations
that I have started with some in person and over the phone over the last
days, and I will seek out others because I want personally to impress
upon them the importance that I place on the kind of open, productive
discussions that we have had to date and my intention to continue
working closely with them.

Obviously, this is a matter
of great concern, because we donít want anyone in any of the countries
that could be affected by these alleged leaks here to have any doubts
about our intentions and our about commitments. Thatís why I stressed in
my remarks that policy is made in Washington. The President and I have
been very clear about our goals and objectives in dealing with the full
range of global challenges that we face. And we will continue to be so
and we will continue to look for every opportunity to work with our
friends and partners and allies around the world and to deal in a very
clear-eyed way with those with whom we have differences, which of course
brings me to Iran.

I think that it should not
be a surprise to anyone that Iran is a source of great concern not only
in the United States, that what comes through in every meeting that I
have anywhere in the world is a concern about Iranian actions and
intentions. So if anything, any of the comments that are being reported
on allegedly from the cables confirm the fact that Iran poses a very
serious threat in the eyes of many of her neighbors, and a serious
concern far beyond her region.

That is why the
international community came together to pass the strongest possible
sanctions against Iran. It did not happen because the United States went
out and said, ďPlease do this for us.Ē It happened because countries,
once they evaluated the evidence concerning Iranís actions and
intentions, reached the same conclusion that the United States reached Ė
that we must do whatever we can to muster the international community to
take action to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons state.

So if anyone reading the
stories about these alleged cables thinks carefully, what they will
conclude is that the concern about Iran is well founded, widely shared,
and will continue to be at the source of the policy that we pursue with
likeminded nations to try to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear
weapons.